If you have a shunt

[spideyman]

I have a shunt (probably antique now) and im always concerned if i bang my head where the valve is

[lcd8]

Yes me too. I try not to do anything where I might bang myself there. In any case it hurts. How long have you had your Shunt?

[spideyman in reply to lcd8]

I had the original one fitted in 1987 that blocked twice.

The 2nd time it blocked i was in Manchester and it couldnt be removed so they piggy backed it.

That was about 25 yrs ago

[spideyman in reply to spideyman]

I had stereotactic radiotherapy about 20 yrs ago on the cluster of aneuryms and was told i might not even need the shunt now but let sleeping dogs lie

[lcd8 in reply to spideyman]

Wow! I didn't even know they did that. My first one was fitted in 1987 too. Since that it has been revised a few times, the last time in 2007. So far so good. I have an AVM and that caused my problems. They aren't sure whether I'd need a Shunt for life even if my AVM could be removed.

[sammm2k]

Hi spidey, not such an antique, I had shunt last year after developing hydrocephalus caused by SAH. The valve it just behind my right ear which feels like I have big lump on my head but can't be seen as my hair has grown back over my scars. When I went for MRI they asked if I was fitted with manual or computerised shunt, I have since learned it's not computerised which means I could have MRI without them needing to do anything, hope I haven't confused you and this helps answer your question.

[Michael_e]

I had a shunt from my spine going to my stomach in 2010 but it was gone by 2015 and I felt no ill effects.

[sammm2k]

Ahh now I get why yours is antique lol. When it blocked, how did you know?what were the symptons? The doctor told me if there's problem I will know all about it, not most helpful

[Matt2584 in reply to sammm2k]

Hi samm,

I have had different symptoms each time my shunt has blocked and these can be nausea or even vomitting, confusion, poor focus, I have been in a coma-like state before like very tired I guess.

[lcd8]

When mine blocks the symptoms associated with the build up of CSF return. For me this is blocked ears, headaches and sickness. Still, I'm never sure whether to panic and go straight to the hospital or whether to go to my local surgery. I mean, what it I went to hospital and it wasn't that? I would feel really stupid.

[Matt2584 in reply to lcd8]

Hi lcd,

I have had a false alarm before. I live with my parents and they panic if I have headaches... for good reason though. But once I was showing signs that my shunt may have blocked.

I went to the hospital, had an MRI scan and had to wait for ages for the results. It turned out I was not blocked which was a huge relief and I was traveling home with my parents in the early hours of the morning :).

It's better to be safe than sorry though and plus also the docs and nurses did tell me and my parents that if anything wasn't right with me then I should be brought in and be checked out.

I will add that I think diet and what people eat plays a huge role in staying healthy and also keeping the shunt clear. I used to have a bad diet and I would not be surprised one bit if that was reason for my injury. While growing up my diet was still quite bad but not as bad and I did have probs with my shunt a few times.

I even wondered if altitude had something to do with blocking the shunt as I had read a few things that made me wonder this. When I was a teen, I went on holiday to Scotland, climbed Ben Nevis, returned home with no problems. In 2010 I went to Wales, climbed Mount Snowden, came down and a day or 2 after we cut the journey short and went to my hospital as the shunt had blocked.

I just got back from Norway and went on a coach trip up one of the mountains there, came back and had no problems. I am not going to say that it is just one of those things, it blocks one minute and doesn't the other because I don't believe that. I believe everything happens for a reason and I would not be surprised if the reason for most blockages is because of diet or even hydration.

[lcd8 in reply to Matt2584]

Yes you might well be right Matt. Certainly diet is responsible for an awful lot of things and can change you from being a fit and healthy person to one that has a tendency to be inactive and unhealthy. And this can lead to poor self-esteem and depression. I'm not sure if diet could be directly connected with a Shunt blockage. But in terms of our overall health and wellbeing and our ability to fight off 'nasties' I do believe you are right. Its interesting what you say about altitude. I do have a vague recollection of being told once that travelling by plane wasn't good for someone with a Shunt. I have to admit though that I have flown a few times despite this on the basis that I need a holiday to maintain my sanity.

[Matt2584 in reply to lcd8]

I am not certain that a change in diet can make an impact how your shunt works but all I know is that when I was in my young 20s is when I had more shunt problems/blockages and my brother who is knowledgable in science told me to keep hydrated. So I would drink more water.

I think it was 2015 or 16 when I went on a cognitive course with my headway and our current manager was running this group at the time. She was talking about shunts and hydrocephalus and I think she mentioned about toxins in the blood around the shunt that can build up and cause a blockage?... it was something along those lines anyhow. And she was saying as well how it was good to stay hydrated as the body gets to work properly. I suppose you could say that hydrating yourself is like oiling yourself :). Also, she added that if your urine was bright yellow/orange then it means you are dehydrated. Which I am not too sure about because I have drunk what I thought was plenty of water and my pee could still be reasonably bright in colour. The clearer it is, the better apparently. You're supposed to drink about 8 pints of water a day and this can help with complexion too, just look at Craig David. That was what my bro told me once anyway :).

My GP once told me that when you are under the weather, the blood can turn sluggish and thick and could lead to blockage.

I know somebody through my Headway and he has a shunt and his doctor told him to stroke/milk the shunt every so often as this can help stimulate the flow?

I did stroke my shunt often after I heard that and I think it must have helped cos I didn't have many problems but then I read more into natural health and started to eat more healthy and I felt a lot better in myself for it. I do stroke my shunt every now and then but not so much as I have confidence my diet is helping me.

By the way, I stroke from the valve of the shunt and down my neck. If the shunt was placed on the forehead, like my friend's shunt, he would stroke from the valve and to the right above his ear I think.

[spideyman in reply to Matt2584]

The original question was if you banged the valve but ppl are talking about it blocking

[Matt2584 in reply to spideyman]

I guess some people are worried that if they bang the valve, not only could it possibly block/help block the shunt but could also damage or bugger up the shunt.

I remember years ago when my consultant pressed my shunt quite hard and deep, it felt uncomfortable. I thought at first he was pressing a button on the shunt but later on a friend at my Headway who has a shunt, said that his consultant pressed it too and the reason they do this is to test if the shunt is working properly. The valve is pressed in and should pop back out on it's own. I don't recommend people try this out though. Leave it to the consultants.

[lcd8 in reply to Matt2584]

I have done this by myself before! When I had my first shunt fitted I think it was the consultant who told me to do this. He said that if the valve doesn't pop out then the Shunt is likely to be blocked. However it doesn't seem to work with my current Shunt. If I press it there is no difference and it only feels hard, so I have given up. I can feel the outline of it at the base of my head but haven't been able to with previous shunts. This makes me think it might depend on which surgeon puts it in.

[lcd8 in reply to Matt2584]

Thanks Matt. That is very useful.

[Matt2584 in reply to Matt2584]

The other thing about the water and drinking 8 glasses/pints is that I did try drinking 8 glasses a day and I was up about 3-5 times in the middle of the night wanting a pee!

I don't think it is really ideal. you don't really want to ruin sleep.

At the moment I drink cups of water, usually 2 in the morning, 2 at lunch and 1 with dinner.I have herbal teas and a coffee in between also.

So I think I hydrate myself just right really and I am usually up once in the night for a wee. Once is enough.

Like I said before, I try to eat and drink more naturally now and I don't usually drink water straight from the tap as it has fluoride in it. Fluoride is naturally occurring but sodium fluoride is not. Sodium fluoride is a poison and is added to tap water, toothpaste, mouth wash and among other things.

I could easily take a picture of a tube of Colgate toothpaste right now and it will say on the side of it that it contains sodium fluoride. Google sodium fluoride and find out for yourself how dangerous it is and ask yourself "Why do they add sodium fluoride? And why do the FDA allow it?"

[RogerCMerriman in reply to Matt2584]

You shouldn't really be having to get to have a pee at your age Matt, I'm at least 10 if not 20 years older!

I also drink a lot more, though it's probable that I use it as well, I do a fair bit of exercise etc.

The colour of pee is a good indication of hydration and other things.

[Matt2584 in reply to RogerCMerriman]

I think the reason why I would get up a lot needing a pee was not only the excessive amounts of water I was drinking back then but it might have been because when I was a kid/teen I didn't really drink much at all. So my bladder was not so active back then but growing up I drank more and my bladder wasn't used to that which could be reason for peeing all the time.

Anyway, like I was saying, I have cut down my intake of fluid now and I get enough to hydrate my body but also don't drink too much where it keeps me awake.

What else does the colour of pee indicate then?

[Matt2584]

Hi Spidey,

I also have a shunt and it was first installed in 1996. I originally had a brain tumour and the tumour was, and still is, located on my brain stem blocking the flow of Cerebral Spinal Fluid. The plan was to have the shunt installed, then have a second op to remove the tumour and then a third op to remove the shunt as it would no longer be needed. But alas, this is not how it panned out.

The first op went well but during the second op my tumour calcified which means it is continuously blocking CFS so I have to keep the shunt in at all times.

From 96 up until 2005 the shunt had been working with no problems at all. It was in 2005 where I had a tumour removed from my back and "somehow" the surgeon managed to dislodge my shunt meaning I had an energency op and had a new shunt put in.

In 2006 I had another shunt put in cos the 2005 shunt had fallen apart. In 2008 my shunt had blocked up and again in 2010 which then lead to an emergency op as I had a haemorrhage and blood got into the shunt meaning it was not working properly.

The valve of my shunt is just behind my right ear. Some people who have shunts, the valves are on their foreheads. The CFS is produced in one of the 4 ventricules of your brain

[Emll]

I have a family member going through the same thing, they had a shunt put in when they were born. They had a few seizures when they were little, that stopped and later in their teens, they had migraines a lot. Then later on in their adult life, they started having seizures again, but absent seizures. The shunt is no longer in the same place or even functions. Their doctor says it's not the shunt and that medication will work, well that's not working. I have a feeling it is the shunt, if it's no longer doing the job it was intended to do, couldn't it be causing blockage and having them have seizures more than ever now?